Marilyn Manson is expected to plead no contest to one charge in the case brought against him by a videographer.
Manson was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault after blowing his nose on videographer Susan Fountain during a show at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, NH on August 19, 2019. According to the Associated Press, a plea of no contest means that Manson isn't admitting guilt, but will also not contest the charge. The second charge of simple assault will be dismissed. As part of the plea, Manson will pay a $1,200 fine and serve 20 hours of community service.
An arrest warrant for Manson, real name Brian Werner, was issued in 2021. At the time, the Gilford Police Department had an active warrant for Manson's arrest and issued the following statement:
"The Gilford Police Department has an active arrest warrant for Brian Hugh Warner (aka: Marilyn Manson) for two counts of Class A misdemeanor Simple Assault stemming from a 2019 incident at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion. The alleged assaults involved a videographer. Mr. Warner, his agent and legal counsel have been aware of the warrant for some time and no effort has been made by him to return to New Hampshire to answer the pending charges.
"Mr. Warner had been performing a concert at the Bank of NH Pavilion on August 18, 2019, when the alleged simple assaults occurred. The issuance of an arrest warrant is not a presumption of guilt. The videographer had been subcontracted by a NH based company to video the concert, and had been located in the stage pit area when the alleged assaults occurred. A Class A misdemeanor in NH can carry a possible jail sentence of less than one year and a fine of $2,000.00 or less. The alleged assaults are not sexual in nature as has been asked by several other media outlets due to a number of other allegations made against Mr. Warner."